[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 34 (Friday, February 20, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 8690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-4371]
[[Page 8690]]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of the Secretary
Bureau of International Labor Affairs; U.S. National
Administrative Office; North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation;
Hearing on Submission #9703
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Labor.
ACTION: Notice of hearing.
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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to announce a hearing, open to
the public, on Submission #9703.
Submission #9703, was filed with the U.S. National Administrative
Office (NAO) on December 15, 1998, by the Echlin Workers Alliance, a
group that includes the Teamsters; the Canadian Auto Workers; the Union
of Needletrades and Industrial Textile Employees (UNITE); the United
Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America; the Paperworkers; and
the Steelworkers. Twenty-four other organizations, including non-
governmental organizations, human rights groups and labor unions from
the three NAFTA countries are cited as concerned organizations in the
submission. The submission was accepted for review by the NAO on
January 30, 1998, and a Notice of acceptance for review was published
in the Federal Register on February 4, 1998.
Article 16(3) of the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation
(NAALC) provides for the review of labor law matters in Canada and
Mexico by the NAO in accordance with U.S. domestic procedures. Revised
procedural guidelines pertaining to the submission, review, and
reporting process utilized by the Office were published in the Federal
Register on April 7, 1994 (59 FR 16660). The guidelines provide for a
discretionary hearing as part of the review.
DATES: The hearing will be held on March 23, 1998, commencing at 9:00
a.m. Persons desiring to present oral testimony at the hearing must
submit a request in writing, along with a written statement or brief
desiring the information to be presented or position to be taken.
ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held at the Department of Labor, 200
Constitution Ave., N.W., Room C-5515 1A and 1B, in Washington, D.C.
Written statements or briefs and requests to present oral testimony may
be mailed or hand delivered to the U.S. National Administrative Office
(NAO), Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room C-4327,
Washington, D.C. 20210. Requests to present oral testimony and written
statements or briefs must be received by the NAO no later than close of
business, March 13, 1998.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Irasema T. Garza, Secretary, U.S. National Administrative Office,
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room C-4327,
Washington, D.C. 20210. Telephone: (202) 501-6653 (this is not a toll
free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Nature and Conduct of Hearing
As set out in the notice published in the Federal Register on
February 4, 1998, the objective of the NAO's review of the submission
is to gather information to better understand and publicly report on
the Government of Mexico's promotion of, compliance with, and effective
enforcement of, its labor law through appropriate government action,
among them its laws relating to freedom of association and the right to
bargain collectively as well as its labor laws relating to the
prevention of occupational injuries and illnesses in violation of the
NAALC article 3(1). The review will also address the composition of the
labor tribunal in this case in view of its compliance with Article 5(4)
of the NAALC which commits the Parties to ensuring that tribunals that
conduct review proceedings are impartial and independent and do not
have any substantial interest in the outcome of the matter.
The hearing will be conducted by the Secretary of the NAO or the
Secretary's designee. It will be open to the public. All proceedings
will be conducted in English, with simultaneous translation in English
and Spanish provided. The public files for the submission, including
written statements, briefs, and requests to present oral testimony,
will be made a part of the appropriate hearing record. The public files
will also be available for inspection at the NAO prior to the hearing.
The hearing will be transcribed. A transcript of the proceeding
will be made available for inspection, as provided for in Section E of
the procedural guidelines, or may be purchased from the reporting
company.
Disabled persons should contact the Secretary of the NAO no later
than March 17, 1998 if special accommodations are needed.
II. Written Statements or Briefs and Requests to Present Oral Testimony
Written statements or briefs shall provide a description of the
information to be presented or position taken and shall be legibly
typed or printed. Requests to present oral testimony shall include the
name, address, and telephone number of the witness, the organization
represented, if any, and any other information pertinent to the
request. Five copies of a statement or brief and a single copy of a
request to present oral testimony shall be submitted to the NAO at the
time of filing.
No request to present oral testimony will be considered unless
accompanied by a written statement or brief. A request to present oral
testimony may be denied if the written statement or brief suggests that
the information sought to be provided is unrelated to the review of the
submission or for other appropriate reasons. The NAO will notify each
requester of the disposition of the request to present oral testimony.
In presenting testimony, the witness should summarize the written
statement or brief, may supplement the written statement or brief with
relevant information, and should be prepared to answer questions from
the Secretary of the NAO or the Secretary's designee. Oral testimony
will ordinarily be limited to a ten minute presentation, not including
the time for questions. Persons desiring more than ten minutes for
their presentation should so state in the request, setting out reasons
why additional time is necessary.
The requirements relating to the submission of written statements
or briefs and requests to present oral testimony may be waived by the
Secretary of the NAO for reasons of equity and public interest.
Signed at Washington, D.C. on February 13, 1998.
Irasema T. Garza,
Secretary, U.S. National Administrative Office.
[FR Doc. 98-4371 Filed 2-19-98; 8:45 am]
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